Category Archives for "Podcast"

Polarised training Q&A and Mikael’s thoughts and perspective | EP#178

An in-depth discussion and Q&A session on the ins and outs and dos and don’ts of polarised training for triathletes and endurance athletes in general. This episode is a follow-up to the extremely popular interview with the godfather of polarised training, Dr. Stephen Seiler in EP#177.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Personal case examples from Mikael Eriksson’s and Stephen Seiler’s training and resulting performance improvements
• Common objections to polarised training
• How can polarised training apply to age-group triathletes?
• Polarised training for beginner athletes, masters athletes, and for longevity and health (rather than performance)
• Periodisation with polarised training
• How to execute low-intensity workouts correctly
• How to execute high-intensity workouts correctly

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Polarised training with Stephen Seiler, PhD | EP#177

Stephen Seiler, PhD, is known for his research on how elite endurance athletes actually train. In this research, he discovered that most endurance athletes spend the majority of their training time (~90%) at very low intensities (below the first lactate/ventilatory threshold) with most of the remainder of the training time spent at high intensities (above the second lactate/ventilatory threshold), with little time spent in between. This training intensity distribution has become popularised and known as ‘polarised training’.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• What is polarised training, and what is the evidence behind it?
• Polarised training and “pyramidal training” – the nuances of training for different kinds of endurance sports and events
• Does polarised training work for time-limited age group triathletes?
• How to set up your training zones and intensities correctly (and the dangers of short-cutting FTP-tests)
• Triathlon-specific considerations with polarised training

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The top-5 challenges for masters athletes and how to overcome them – Bo Falck Hansen, PhD | EP#176

Bo Falck Hansen, PhD, is a researcher and cycling coach with a special interest in training and performance for the aging athlete. He describes the top-5 challenges that masters athletes in triathlon and other endurance sports face, and how to tackle them.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Reducing the rate of decline in aerobic capacity (VO2max) with the right kind of endurance training
• Reducing the rate of loss of lean muscle mass with the right kind of strength training.
• Reducing the impact of the insulin response while still making sure you perform in training and racing with periodised carbohydrate intake.
• Maintaining flexibility, coordination, and balance.
• Having the right attitude to aging

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Dan Lorang – coach of Jan Frodeno, Anne Haug and Bora Hansgrohe pro cycling team | EP#175

Dan Lorang is the coach of triathletes like Jan Frodeno and Anne Haug, as well as a high performance coach and Head of Innovation of the Bora Hansgrohe professional cycling team. In this Training Talk we dive deep into a variety of topics on training and performance, in particular as it pertains to long-distance triathlon.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• The training bull’s eye: maximising adaptations
• How to structure your training over an entire season (e.g. leading up to an Ironman) as well as on a weekly level
• Bike training structure
• Swim training structure
• Run training structure
• The importance of heart rate
• The importance of physiological testing

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Eight tips for having a successful triathlon training camp | EP#174

Training camps are great (and fun!) ways to increase fitness and build up towards a strong triathlon racing season. But there are several important do’s and don’ts you must pay attention to if you want to make the camp a successful one from which you come out the other side stronger. The main reason many age-groupers do not benefit from training camps is that they are unaware of, or do not adhere to these triathlon training camp commandments.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• The objectives of a training camp
• How much volume can and should you do on a training camp
• How much intensity can and should you do on a training camp
• Training tips for swimming, cycling, and running when on a training camp
• Nutrition, hydration, workout and post-workout fuelling, and recovery tips for a training camp
• How to resume training after a training camp

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Intensity, volume, rest, nutrition, coaching and triathlon myth-busting with Dr. Philip Skiba | EP#173

Dr. Philip Skiba, one of the most sought-after coaches and consultants in the triathlon and endurance sports industry joins us to discuss the fundamentals of designing a training program. He also gives his viewpoint on a number of topics and busts some hard lived myths.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• The physiological fundamentals behind effective training
• The volume vs. intensity debate
• How to include intensity in your training program
• How to think about rest in your training program
• Periodisation (or the lack thereof)
• Nutrition, and not falling for fad diets and the flavour of the month
• Some common triathlon myths or misconceptions busted and explained

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World Champions keep things simple: training masterclass with Joel Filliol | EP#172

Joel Filliol is one of the most successful elite triathlon coaches in the history of the sport. In his multi-national squad he coaches athletes like Mario Mola (three-time World Champion), Katie Zaferes, Vincent Luis, and Jake Birthwhistle, and his on his CV is also coached Simon Whitfield to an Olympic silver medal and working as the Head Coach of British Triathlon. In this in-depth interview we discuss Joel’s learnings from this great career of what really matters in training, and how to get these things right.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Keeping training simple and avoiding major mistakes
• The importance of consistent total workload over time and of training frequency
• No “main” sessions: every workout counts
• A typical training week of athletes like Mario Mola, Vincent Luis and Katie Zaferes
• How to do low-intensity training the right way!
• How to do high-intensity training the right way!
• Brick workouts and peaking

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Process vs. outcome goals with Fran Bungay | EP#171

Fran Bungay is head coach of Goalspecific and a coaching tutor at the British Triathlon coach development programme, as well as a top-ranked age-group athlete with two European titles to her name. She discusses the use of process goals in triathlon, and why you might want to move towards a more process-driven approach rather than focusing hard on outcome goals.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• The advantages of using process goals
• Why too much focus on direct outcomes can be detrimental to triathlon progress
• How to set process goals for yourself, step by step
• Building confidence and mental strength

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Should women’s triathlon training be different than men’s? with Wendy Mader | EP#170

Wendy Mader is a coach as well as former Ironman age-group world champion, with more than 25 years of experience in triathlon. In this interview we discuss what female athletes need to consider in their triathlon training, and how they may (or may not) need to train differently from male athletes.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• What might female triathletes need to do differently than males in their training?
• The impact of the menstrual cycle on training
• How does age impact training?
• Differences between men and women when it comes to psychology, mindset, and confidence.

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FTP, VO2max and VLaMax: what triathletes need to know with Sebastian Weber | EP#169

Sebastian Weber is a sports scientist and highly successful coach, in both professional sports (having worked with athletes like Peter Sagan, Tony Martin, and André Greipek) and with age-group endurance athletes. He is also the co-founder of the physiological performance software INSCYD. One of the important factors for his success is his knowledge about exercise physiology and metabolism. Today, he shares this knowledge with us so that you too can benefit from it and become a faster triathlete.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• What is FTP (Functional Threshold Power), why does it even exist, and how can you train to improve it?
• The only two variables that can be changed to improve FTP: VO2max (Aerobic Capacity) and VLaMax (glycolytic capacity).
• Why you need to focus on changing VO2max and/or VLaMax, and NOT FTP itself, if you want to improve your FTP.
• How to train to increase VO2max to increase FTP.
• How to train to decrease VLaMax to increase FTP.
• How VO2max and VLaMax determine your fat and carb oxidation at any intensity (including submaximal intensities)

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